Latch



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' E. S. WINCHESTER.

LATCH.

Patented Deopll w E7 m g M PETERS. PMoLilboIraplur. Washington. D

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDiVARD S. VINCHESTER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

LATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 394,427, dated December 11, 1888.

Application filed May 11, 1888. Serial No. 273,599. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD S. WINCHEs- TER, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Door Latches and Locks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to those doorlatches in which the latch-bolt is automaticallyheld when retracted preparatory to opening the door, and automatically released and projected when the door is closed; and the essence of the invention resides in so combining the latch-bolt and the detent for holding it in its retracted position with the knob of the latch or door that in closing the door the momentum of the knob is caused to effect the disengagement of the latch.

As will be apparent to the skilled mechanic after reading this specification, the details of construction may be variously modified without departing from the limits of my invention, the only essential requirement being that the momentum of the knob shall act to release the latch when the closing movement of the door is suddenly arrested.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a door-latch having my invention incorporated therein, the side of the casing being removed to expose the internal parts to view. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the same with the latch-bolt in its projected position. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the same with the bolt in its retracted position.

I have selected for illustration in the accompanying drawings that familiar form of latch in which the latch proper is mounted on a vertical pivot to swing outward at the opposite end beyond the casing to engage the keeper; but it will be apparent that the invention is also applicable to those ordinary latches in which the latch-bolt reciprocates horizontally.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the casing of a latch of ordinary form; B, the sector-shaped latch-bolt mounted on the vertical pivot 19 and arranged to swing outward at the opposite end beyond the lock-casing under the influence of an internal spring, I).

0 represents the detent for holding the latch in its inner or retracted position. It consists simply of a perforated plate connected by a vertical pivot, c, to the swinging end of the latch, and adapted at the opposite end to engage over and around a stationary stud, u, on the inside of the lock-case, the construe tion and arrangement being such that when the detent is engaged over the stud, as shown in Fig. 3, the latch is retained wholly within the lock-case. The retraction of the latch is effected by one or the other of two sliding bolts, D and I), mounted within the case, one above and the other below the latch, and suitably guided by studs or otherwise to reciprocate horizontally. These bolts are urged forward by springs E, and are provided at their forward ends each with a shoulder, e, adapted to engage a corresponding shoulder, e, on the detent. At their rear ends the bolts 1) D have shoulders d, which are acted upon by the arms or horns of a rocking stump, F. This stump is mounted at its ends in the side plates of the case, so that it may turn on its axis, and so, also, that it may slide endwise, or in an axial direction, to a limited extent.

Inside of the case the stump is formed with acollar or projection, j, which lies behind the detent C when the latter is engaged upon the stud a, as shown in Fig. 3, so that by moving the stump endwise its collar is caused to disengage the detent from the stud. A spring, G, is applied either inside or outside of the l0ck-case to urge the stump in a direction contrary to that in which it moves to disengage the detent. A spindle, H, is passed through the stump and provided on one or both ends with the usual knobs or handles, l, for turning the same.

The operation is as follows: The door be ing closed, the parts stand in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the latch being projected and the detent U inactive. Upon turning the knob in either direction the stump F, turning therewith, is caused to retract one or the other of the bolts D D. The bolt, in turn acting upon the corresponding lip of the detent, urges the detent backward, swinging the latch into the case. The end of the deten-t rises over the face of the stud (1 until finally, at the instant the bolt completes its movement, the detent catches over the stud, as shown in Fig. 3, holding the latch in position; but, owing to the fact that the arms 0 c of the detent are located on the side opposite to that of the pivot, the backward pressure of the operating-bolt is exerted upon the detent on one side of a line passing longitudinally through it, whereby the said detent is pressed against the stud and caused to swing over the same without the assistance of a spring or other device to cause the engagement. The parts remain in this position until the door is closed in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3. At the instant the door completes its closing movement, when its motion is suddenly arrested, the inertia of the knobs and spindle is such that they overcome the spring G and carry the same in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3, whereupon the stump acts to lift the detent oif from the stud a, thereby releasing the latch, which is immediately projected by the spring 1).

Instead of projecting the arms 0 c of the detent in the manner shown, so that the retracting-bolts effect the engagement of the detent with the stud, a spring may be applied to insure the engagement.

It will be understood that the particular form of the latch-bolt and of the detent are matters of minor importance, and that they may be modified at will, provided only the detent automatically holds the bolt and is 1 adapted in turn to be disengaged by the movement of the knob in an axial direction.

It will be perceived that the detent may be disengaged by moving the knobs by hand in an axial direction, and that this mode of action admits of the door being closed slowly and softly, when required.

In place of the bolts D for retracting the latch, I may use between the stump and the bolt any other retracting devices such as are commonly known and used in the art for this purpose.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combination, substantially as described and shown, of a latch, a spring for projecting the same, a detent for holding the latch in its retracted position, and a tripping device for the detent, movable with the knobspindle in the direction of its axis, whereby the detent may be disengaged by the end motion of the spindle.

2. In a door-latch, the combination of a latch-bolt, a spring to project the same, a

spindle-receiving hub movable in an axial direction and suitably connected with the bolt to effect its retraction, and a detent to hold the latch in its retracted position, adapted to be disengaged by the axial movement of the hub.

3. In a door-latch, a latch-bolt, its projecting spring, and a detent to hold the latch in its retracted position, in combination with a retracted bolt acting on the latch, a rotary and axially-movable hub or stump to actuate the retracting-bolt and to disengage the detent, and a spring resisting the movement of the hub to disengage the latch.

4.. The latch-case provided with the stud or projection a, the latch-bolt, the detent O, pivoted to the latch-bolt and provided with the arms 0 c, the retracting-bolts D and D,

the rotary axially-movable hub, and the spring G, said parts-combined for joint operation, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand, this 15th day of March, 1888, in the presence of two attesting witnesses.

EDWVARD S. WINCHESTER.

WVitnesses:

HARRY W. AIKEN, CHAs. A. 'BANCROFT. 

